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Displaying items by tag: Derg Marina

A €2.3 million marina on Lough Derg that was the subject of a planning battle earlier this year is now open for business, Afloat.ie has learned.

Derg Marina across from Killaloe is the first Ronautica-built marina in Ireland and was developed by Gary McNamara, son of Dolores McNamara who scooped €115 million in the EuroMillions lottery in 2005.

According to The Irish Times, the site — which had been a “little-used” marina — was purchased four years ago for €1.7 million, well ahead of the €550,000 guide price.

Previously the 250-berth marina, with half a kilometre of water frontage, had sold for €8 million in 2006 — but fell into disrepair in the intervening years.

Progress on the redeveloped site had been held up over a planning objection by local resident Clare Quinn, as The Irish Sun reported this past April.

But An Bord Pleanála refused Ms Quinn leave to appeal as she had not shown the approved scheme would differ materially from what was set out in the application for planning permission.

The new Derg Marina has been welcomed by the local Marine Village Residents’ Association, and Afloat.ie understands interest in the new facility among boaters across the Shannon region is high.

“It looks very smart and a big step up for the inland scene,” one boater told Afloat.ie.

Published in Irish Marinas
An inland waterways hire cruiser that struck Killaloe bridge in Co. Clare at the weekend was beached by the local volunteer Coast Guard Unit. Six people and a dog were evacuated from the hire boat.

The Cruiser was holed and was taking on water.

Killaloe Coast Guard Mobile unit was tasked to Derg Marina with salvage pumps while the Coast Guard Rescue Boat also responded according to a Coast Guard blog report here.

It was decided that in order to save the vessel from sinking that the Coast Guard would run the cruiser aground in the shallow water at nearby Ballyvalley.

Published in Inland Waterways

Shipyards

Afloat will be focusing on news and developments of shipyards with newbuilds taking shape on either slipways and building halls.

The common practice of shipbuilding using modular construction, requires several yards make specific block sections that are towed to a single designated yard and joined together to complete the ship before been launched or floated out.

In addition, outfitting quays is where internal work on electrical and passenger facilities is installed (or upgraded if the ship is already in service). This work may involve newbuilds towed to another specialist yard, before the newbuild is completed as a new ship or of the same class, designed from the shipyard 'in-house' or from a naval architect consultancy. Shipyards also carry out repair and maintenance, overhaul, refit, survey, and conversion, for example, the addition or removal of cabins within a superstructure. All this requires ships to enter graving /dry-docks or floating drydocks, to enable access to the entire vessel out of the water.

Asides from shipbuilding, marine engineering projects such as offshore installations take place and others have diversified in the construction of offshore renewable projects, from wind-turbines and related tower structures. When ships are decommissioned and need to be disposed of, some yards have recycling facilities to segregate materials, though other vessels are run ashore, i.e. 'beached' and broken up there on site. The scrapped metal can be sold and made into other items.